Chapter 310: Kizaru (Part 3)

"Dammit!" Sengoku's eyes blazed with fury as a sudden explosion rocked the port. Without wasting a second, he launched himself into the air, using Geppo to rush towards the source of the blast. The port, being the only one in Marineford, housed over a dozen massive warships, each one fit for a vice admiral. These weren't just any ships; they were the kind used in a Buster Call.

The destruction of so many warships, along with the casualties among the elite marines aboard them, was a severe blow to the Navy. What made Sengoku even more desperate was that, despite the increased security after the previous attack, this incident had still occurred. A vice admiral was supposed to be stationed near the port, yet this catastrophe had still unfolded. Sengoku had every reason to be alarmed.

"You stay here and keep watch," Sengoku ordered, stopping Garp, who was about to follow him. Despite his rage, Sengoku, known as the "Strategist," didn't let his anger cloud his judgment.

"What's the situation?" Sengoku was the first to reach the devastated port. He quickly scanned the area from above but found no trace of the enemy before landing next to Vice Admiral Strawberry, who was on duty at the time.

"We haven't detected any enemies," Strawberry reported, his expression grim. Despite his Haki being fully activated, he hadn't sensed any sign of the attackers. The explosion had been just like the last one.

"No enemies detected, just like last time?" Soon, Tsuru, the Chief Staff Officer, and other vice admirals who had remained at Marineford arrived. Tsuru quietly observed the burning wreckage of the warships and the destroyed turrets before speaking softly.

"Yes, no sign of any enemies," Strawberry confirmed.

"Could it be a long-range Devil Fruit user?" Tsuru muttered to herself. With no enemies detected, yet the port still under attack, the possibility of a long-range ability user seemed the only explanation. The idea of timed explosives hadn't crossed their minds due to a cognitive bias.

In reality, this was indeed the result of timed explosives, a plan Daniel Davis had prepared before attacking the Celestial Dragons. Planting explosives on Navy warships wasn't easy, given that they were inspected daily. Unless the bombs were detonated immediately, delayed explosions were difficult to pull off.

However, for Daniel Davis, this was simple. With the powers of the Ope Ope no Mi, he could easily cut into a ship, place the bombs inside, and then restore the ship to its original state. In such circumstances, even a thorough inspection wouldn't reveal the bombs unless the entire ship was dismantled.

It must be said that Trafalgar Law had used the Ope Ope no Mi too crudely. Although its combat power was considerable, its potential in support roles was even greater. Of course, this was also related to Law's own strength; he couldn't fully exploit the fruit's power. When he fought Doflamingo, he was exhausted after just a short while, unlike the five-day battle between Ace and Jinbei or the ten-day fight between Aokiji and Akainu.

Law's lack of stamina and dedication to training was likely the main reason why the Ope Ope no Mi hadn't shown its full potential in his hands.

"Rescue the injured, and the rest of you stay on high alert," Sengoku ordered after taking a deep breath, having found no enemies.

"Yes, sir!" The vice admirals responded promptly and set to work.

"From what we've heard from the enemy, it's clear this won't end easily," Tsuru said softly to Sengoku after the others had left.

The Celestial Dragons had been attacked, one of them killed, and combined with the recent incident with the flyers, Sengoku was now under intense pressure, like being roasted over a fire.

If certain things remained hidden, people could turn a blind eye, and the matter would eventually blow over. The Celestial Dragon issue was one such thing. But once such incidents were laid bare, the situation changed. Although the World Government's 800 years of rule was deeply ingrained in people's minds, leading to few actual uprisings despite widespread resentment, this time, if mishandled, the repercussions could be even more severe than those caused by Roger's final words before his execution.

"Let them come, then." Sengoku's previously weary expression hardened with resolve.

"It's time. Begin the drop," came Red Queen's voice from a Quinjet hovering 6,000 meters above Marineford. As she spoke, the jet's hatch opened, and a mech controlled by the AI flew out, holding a small pouch. The mech untied the pouch and dropped it, the fabric unfurling as it fell, and soon disappeared.

Moments later, a massive island, nearly a kilometer in diameter, emerged beneath the Quinjet and began plummeting toward Marineford with the force of a meteor.

By using the Ope Ope no Mi to cut the island and then wrapping it in the incredible Convenient Large Cloth, Daniel Davis created an artificial meteor. Although the process was complicated and not as easy as Fujitora casually pulling down a meteor from the sky, the resulting impact was much more significant due to the island's mass.

Creating artificial meteors was a simple task for Daniel Davis. He now had multiple ways to accomplish it—either with the Convenient Large Cloth or with Pym Particles. While he initially considered the second method, capable of throwing down entire buildings or islands, the required energy consumption was high. After obtaining the Convenient Large Cloth, the second method became unnecessary for now.

With the power Daniel Davis currently wielded, if he were to go all out, he could wreak havoc across the world of One Piece, even destroying the Holy Land of Mariejois atop the Red Line with ease.

"Second drop," came Red Queen's voice again about twenty seconds later, as another pouch was released from the mech.

"Fourth drop." At the same time, another Quinjet was stationed high above the Red Line's Mariejois, performing the same actions. While Daniel Davis had only prepared a double drop for Marineford, the plan for Mariejois involved five consecutive drops.

"Above us!" Almost simultaneously, Garp, Sengoku, Tsuru, and others at Marineford sensed something amiss. Looking up, they saw a massive fireball hurtling down toward them with unstoppable force.

"Haha, just in time!" On the top floor of Marineford, Garp saw the incoming fireball, tossed the last piece of senbei into his mouth, and moved. His figure vanished, reappearing mid-air as if he had teleported, charging towards the enormous fireball. Just as the two were about to collide, Garp's right fist, now jet black with Armament Haki, swung forward.

"Shiki the Golden Lion." As Garp acted, Sengoku and Tsuru seemed to simultaneously remember something, both uttering the name in unison.

Boom!

The moment the name left their lips, a deafening explosion shook the sky. The shockwave reverberated throughout Marineford, causing everyone to instinctively look up.

"Damn that Garp!" Sengoku cursed as he watched the shattered fragments of the island fall from the sky. He immediately sprang into action, his body glowing with golden light that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.

Moments later, a colossal golden Buddha, over ten meters tall, appeared mid-air. With a wave of its massive golden hands, powerful shockwaves pulverized the falling debris into dust.

Although Sengoku didn't manage to eliminate all the fragments, he destroyed the vast majority. With the assistance of the vice admirals, only a few fragments reached the ground.

"Another one?" Garp, having just smashed the first island, looked up to see another massive fireball descending from the sky. He charged towards it once more, delivering a second powerful punch to shatter the island.

"Protect the soldiers and civilians; everything else is secondary!" Sengoku, now a towering golden Buddha, landed in the large plaza in front of Marineford, creating a massive crater upon impact. Ignoring the damage, he shouted orders, his voice booming across the entire island.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sengoku once again unleashed shockwaves from his golden hands, directing them towards the sky.

"Shiki, show yourself!" Sengoku roared as he unleashed the shockwaves.

It was no wonder Sengoku believed this attack was the work of Shiki the Golden Lion. The similarities to the Golden Lion's previous assault on Marineford were uncanny.

As the first pirate to ever escape from Impel Down, Shiki had been a top priority for both the World Government and the Navy. In the years following his escape, they had tirelessly hunted for him. However, after years of fruitless searching, and with Shiki not showing himself, the World Government and Navy gradually relaxed.

By now, after thorough discussions, they had concluded that Shiki might have died from his injuries in some unknown place. This assumption was based on Shiki's impulsive and hot-headed nature. A person like him, who had once stormed into Marineford alone, wouldn't have stayed hidden for so many years if he were still alive.

However, this latest attack had made Sengoku and Tsuru reconsider. This kind of assault could only have been orchestrated by someone with the power of the Float-Float Fruit, like Shiki.

Back in the day, Shiki had been the most likely candidate to succeed Rocks D. Xebec. Not only was he powerful, but his influence was also the greatest. Unfortunately, his attempt to consolidate power and defeat Roger had been thwarted by a sudden,

 powerful storm. Not only did Roger escape, but Shiki also suffered devastating losses.

Shiki himself was severely injured, and his forces were nearly wiped out. This led to the rise of the Yonko.

Even in a world where individuals could possess extraordinary strength, where Garp could casually crush two islands, the natural disasters were equally terrifying, especially those in the New World. Even legends like Roger and Shiki had to bow to the forces of nature.

Without a doubt, Roger had far better luck than Shiki. Had it not been for that unexpected storm, the Roger Pirates might have been wiped out.

As the Pirate King, Roger was a strange figure. Before his death, he used his treasure to spark the Great Pirate Era, yet he had twice aided the World Government and Navy.

The first time was willingly, when he cooperated with Garp and other marines in the God Valley incident, saving the Celestial Dragons. The second time was unintentional, with Shiki's downfall. Without it, Shiki's ambition would have surely led him to assault the Red Line.

For most people, reaching the Red Line was extremely difficult. But for Shiki, the Float-Float Fruit allowed him to easily lead his forces there.

"Shiki!" Sengoku's voice echoed across the entire island of Marineford, causing those who knew Shiki's history to pale in fear.

Although more than twenty years had passed, many in the Navy still remembered the devastating battle at Marineford when Shiki had taken on both Garp and Sengoku and nearly leveled the base. The destruction back then was only marginally less than what was caused later during the Summit War.

The survivors from that time were now filled with dread, fearing a repeat of those events.

"Prepare to evacuate the civilians immediately," Tsuru ordered, planning to have the marines evacuate the civilians on the island, most of whom were the families of Navy personnel.

When Shiki attacked Marineford back then, it wasn't like the later Summit War, where preparations had been made. It had been a sudden strike, and the Navy had suffered heavy casualties.

However, just as the marines were about to act, and Sengoku and Garp had braced themselves for Shiki's assault, nothing happened. The sky remained clear, and there was no sign of the enemy. Garp even used Geppo and Observation Haki to search the sky, but found nothing.

"Was it Shiki?" After a long silence with no enemy appearing, Sengoku reverted from his Buddha form. Garp also returned from his search. As Tsuru joined them, Garp asked, confused.

"Based on the abilities used, it should be him. But he's even more troublesome now than he was before," Sengoku replied, his expression dark. Although they had identified Shiki as the mastermind, the fact that he had become so much more elusive made the situation even more problematic.

The Shiki of today was vastly different from the impulsive pirate of the past. After twenty years of hiding, there was no doubt he had been planning something significant during that time. It was no wonder Sengoku looked so troubled.

"The World Government has just informed us that Mariejois was also hit by a similar attack. It's now confirmed—it's definitely Shiki. After twenty years of hiding, it seems he's finally ready to make his move," Tsuru added, her expression equally grave.

The Navy didn't fear powerful individuals, not even if they were as strong as Garp. What they feared most were ambitious individuals with dangerous abilities, and Shiki the Golden Lion was undoubtedly one of those people.

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